Bill Gates stopped being the fourth richest person in the world, after his separation with Melinda French

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Bill Gates's split from Melinda French cost the mogul a significant chunk of his fortune, moving him from fourth to fifth on Forbes' list of the world's richest people.

According to the medium specialized in economics and business, Melinda French Gates now has a fortune of US $ 5.7 billion after Bill Gates transferred a series of shares to her in the framework of her divorce proceedings.

The Forbes fortune count now estimates that Bill Gates has a wealth of $ 129.6 billion, 0.1% less than Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg , who now ranks as the fourth richest people in the world.

Bill Gates' investment vehicle, Cascade Investment LLC, transferred nearly $ 2.4 billion in shares to Melinda last week, according to new documents from US authorities.

The stock transfers were first reported by Bloomberg on Monday. In May, days after the couple announced their divorce, Gates transferred $ 3.2 billion in stock to Melinda.

In addition, Melinda French received 3.3 million shares of AutoNation, worth approximately $ 392 million, according to documents from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) . Following this transfer, the former Bill Gates was left with 8.8% of the Florida-based auto retailer.

Cascade also transferred 2.8 million shares of agricultural equipment maker Deere & Co., now worth $ 1 billion, and 9.5 million shares of Canadian National Railway Co., now also worth $ 1,000. millions.

Forbes calculations also estimate that Melinda likely received additional assets from Bill, such as interests in private companies or real estate for which public disclosure of the transfer is not required.

The terms that dictate how the couple's huge fortune will be divided are found in a non-public separation contract, which was signed before Bill and Melinda announced their divorce in May.

In their original divorce petition, Bill and Melinda said their relationship was "hopelessly broken." Melinda was reportedly distraught over Bill's meetings with late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and began consulting divorce attorneys in 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A spokesperson for Bill also admitted that he had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2000, which the company's board investigated in 2019, also according to the Wall Street Journal. Bill resigned from Microsoft's board in March 2020 before the investigation was completed, although the spokesperson denies that he did so because of the investigation.

Last week, Bill addressed his relationship with Epstein for the first time. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, he said it was a "big mistake" to spend time with him. "It's a time for reflection, and at this point, I need to move on," added Bill. "Within the family, we will heal as best we can."

Beyond this extramarital affair and the evenings shared with Epstein, The New York Times published a lengthy article based on testimonies from people on condition of anonymity that suggested that "long before the divorce, Bill Gates was known for his questionable behavior."

Despite the confusion, Bill and Melinda have vowed to remain co-chairs of the Gates Foundation, which they founded in 2000 and has since grown into the world's largest philanthropic organization. The foundation announced last month that Melinda will resign in two years if it turns out that she and Bill cannot work together.